Advice Appreciated!

Well we have a stray kitty that has been hanging around our house since we moved in. I've been calling her Scary because she has a bit of a scary face IMO But I'm trying to rename her Panga but I think Scary has stuck.

Anyway- in the beginning the poor thing was so skinny so I started feeding her and she's beginning to fill out nicely. She was also soooo skiddish at first- she wouldn't even let us near her but now she rubs against me when I feed her. I'd like to keep her & make her an indoor cat but I need advice!

Panga/Scary & Maui will sit right in front of each other with the screen door in between them. Maui just rolls around like he wants to play and Scary just stares at him. Occasionaly Scary will hiss and/or bat the screen (only once- nothing too theatrical) then they go back to co-existing with the door in front of them.

I called my vet today to find out how much it would be to bring her in and get all the vaccines & tests she may need, now I just need to figure out if the time is right to bring her in- which is where you guys come in.

How do I handle this? Bringing her into the house & introducing her to Maui? She is very friendly & loves to be pet but still runs when people come around- but if you just sit and be calm for a half a second & call her she will come and let you pet her, but only if she's sort of familiar with you....

By the way- the vet said I will need to test for Feline Leaukemia (terrible spelling sorry!), get a C3 vaccine & a C3 booster in 3 weeks, a rabies vaccine, and possible de-worming but they have to test her poo first. Another thing- how the heck do I get poo from an outdoor cat that I've never seen go potty! Any tests/vaccines we're overlooking?

Sorry for all the Q's!

Anyone?

Maybe if I give some more specifics that I forgot to mention....

Scary is a female and her nipples are really obvious so I don't know if that means she recently had kittens or what. I have no idea how old she is but I don't think she's old, old, or very young. I don't know much about mama cats!

Maui is neutered & 6 months old...


I would also really like to know if there are any tests or immunizations we are missing!

* Resuming waiting patiently now....

I think the time is right to bring her in - but I would take her to the vet's first before the intro to Maui.

How long has she been around? That will give you some idea of if it's likely she has kittens - I'm inclined to suspect that it's more likely that she's expecting kittens.

As far as getting a fecal sample, the vet can often get enough speciman with a swab stick at the office. I have a multi cat house and find that to be the best for my guys as a rule.

I would take her to the vet before doing anything else. The feline leukemia test should come first. It that is okay, the vet can go ahead with the other vaccinations. I am dealing with the same thing right now. My stray has been vaccinated now, but I am still havin gto keep her in a large cage on the front porch. She has an eye problem caused by the herpes virus and my vet wants to try and clear that up before I introduce her to my other cats. Good luck with it all.

Thanks!

We've only been here for a little over a month and she has been here the entire time. I will definetely be taking her to the vet before I bring her into the house- I'm too afraid Maui will get worms or anything she may have, better safe than sorry when it comes to my little man!!

Maybe she is preggo... it would help explain her weight gain. She was pretty skinny at first but is looking plumper... I've never had a cat with kittens before!

Do you think that I have to separate them for a week or so like it's recommended... since they have been face to face through the screen? Or could I try just letting them together and see what happens?

Originally Posted by SarahBeez

Thanks!

We've only been here for a little over a month and she has been here the entire time. I will definetely be taking her to the vet before I bring her into the house- I'm too afraid Maui will get worms or anything she may have, better safe than sorry when it comes to my little man!!

Maybe she is preggo... it would help explain her weight gain. She was pretty skinny at first but is looking plumper... I've never had a cat with kittens before!

Do you think that I have to separate them for a week or so like it's recommended... since they have been face to face through the screen? Or could I try just letting them together and see what happens?

Click to expand...

I would borrow a humane trap and trap this stray and take her in to be seen by your vet. Only a vet can determine whether she has a bad case of worms or whether she is pregnant. If she is indeed pregnant, she will need to remain indoors only until she has weaned her kittens and can be safely spayed.

Katie

I don't even think I'll have to trap her- I'm sure I can get her in the carrier before she even knows what's going on. She's very friendly once she gets over the initial "who are you & what do you want" thought process.

I'm just unsure about how to handle the situation on introducing them once she gets the all clear. Maybe I should re-ask my question in behavior?

I definetely will be keeping her indoors, especially if she is about to have kittens. I'm against outdoor cats in general.

First of all, thank you for wanting to adopt this kitty!

I'm also really glad you want to make her an indoors-only pet. It really is the best for her.

And I'm also glad you'll get her to the vet before you bring her in. It really does need to be done this way. The vet should be able to get enough for a fecal smear (where they check for worms) with a swab stick, as Tru has suggested.

She should be tested for FELV (Feline Leukemia), she'll need a rabies vaccination and a distemper vaccination (is that what C3 is?). She should be checked for worms and other parasites. She may need to be treated for fleas (ONLY use vet products - NOTHING you can buy in a pet store or supermarket is actually safe for kitty) and/or ticks. She'll probably have worms, and will likely need to be treated for that. And - she may be pregnant. Then you have a choice to make. Long time rescuers would probably have her spayed anyway (which essentially also means having an abortion too). Many people object to this - but then you will have kittens to contend with, and they really should not be adopted out until they're about 10 weeks old. 12 is ideal, but many adopt them a little earlier because they're still that teeney-cute easy to adopt size.

Please feel free to post if you have any more questions!!!!!!!



Laurie

As to socializing the two - for her sake, it'll be best to isolate her in a room for a while. This isn't so much for the introduction - which really has already been made. The IDEAL thing is to bring feral cat indoors, socialize in a separate room - and to put a screen door on that room to make kitty intros - so you've already gotten that part over and done with without having to take a door off a room in your house, lol!

The problem is that cats are territorial, and one being an indoor cat and one being an outdoor cat, they haven't had to deal with learning to share territory.

Panga/Scary will probably be scared at being brought indoors. She is used to being outside - in her territory - and independent. The sounds and smells in your home will not be too familiar to her (never having experienced them from the inside before). She will be scared, and though she clearly trusts you outside, she may not be happy (at first) about being brought inside.

So for her sake - to get used to the new sounds, smells, and territory, it would be best to separate her, at least for a few days. She should have her food, water, and litterbox in one room.

You can wipe your kitty down with a dry wash cloth and place this under Panga/Scary's bowl. Wipe down Panga/Scary with a dry wash cloth, and place this under your kitty's food bowl. This will help each to associate the other with good things, and should help the intro, when it happens, go a little more smoothly.

You can purchase some Feliway (a synthetic hormone that cats secrete in their cheeks to mark things with "friendly" smell) and spray it around the room Panga/Scary will be in - and around the house. This will help, at least a little, to lower the stress levels of the kitties while adapting to the new situation.

And Panga/Scary should have a box set up for her to hide in in "her" room.

The most important thing for you to remember is that from her perspective EVERYTHING will have changed, and she will be scared. She may have been a stray, and adjust very quickly. Or she may become scared of you for a little while. There's just no way to know. But she will need time to adjust to her new territory and perhaps to trust you again. But whatever happens, it will happen on her schedule, not yours.

See how things go for a day or two. If she's just fine with everything, then go ahead and make "intros" between the two kitties. Supervised, obviously. There will likely be some hissing and batting - this is normal. Keep your eye on them, and use your judgment. If Panga/Scary is scared and retreats, it's too soon. If she's comfortable and confident, then just keep an eye on things.

They will have to work out who's territory is where, who is alpha, etc. Hissing and batting are normal. But if the ears go back and there's serious fighting - keep a jar with coins in it around to shake, just in case. A quick, sharp noise like that is the best way to break up the fight - startle them out of it. Otherwise, let them grapple if it's not too serious.

You may want to go to the home page of The Cat Site. To the right of the logo you'll see a bunch of category buttons - Cat Forums, Cat Behavior, &etc. You may want to click on Cat Behavior and check out some of the articles in there. In the Cat Care section are articles on socializing ferals (useful tips, even if the cats are strays), Bringing Home a New Cat (also excellent tips for making kitties more comfortable in their new space) and lots of other useful articles.

Here's a direct link to one of them:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

Thank you for rescuing this kitty!

Laurie

YESSS!!!! Thank you! Now that is the kind of meaty answer I've been looking for!

I will take your advice and keep them separate in order to help her become accustomed to being inside- I didn't think of it that way but was also wondering how to combat this issue at the same time! Now I just need to find a room to put her in... one room has sugar gliders in it and the other is total chaos because we're still transforming it into Chad's office- looks like I'm on a mission this weekend! I can't put her in our bedroom because Maui is used to having access to it- but he generally stays out of the office...

I'm pretty sure C3 is for distemper- or at least that is what they call the booster shot- I know this because Maui got one on Monday. The initial shot may be called something else but I do know C3 is a booster at least!

Thanks again everyone for the advice!